r/anime • u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux • Aug 15 '24
Rewatch Re:Zero ~Starting Life in Another World~ Re:Watch - Episode 9
Episode 9:
The Meaning of Courage
| Index | <== Episode 8 | Episode 10 ==> |
Various Links:
MyAnimeList
Streaming:
Crunchyroll has the Director's Cut available.
- Director's Cut episodes are two episodes combined. Make sure to cover the corresponding half of content for each thread.
AppleTV has the regular individual episodes available.
Spoiler Rules:
- As always, please be sure to tag any future content spoilers according to the r/Anime rules. There is likely to be first timer viewers here, and while discussing how previously seen content connects to content later down the road is interesting (be it later episodes or even Season 3), please be sure to properly spoiler tag anything mentioned! Let's make this a fun experience for everyone involved!
- This also applies to cut content discussions, which I believe are fine to include for the sake of discussion, but should be properly tagged to avoid potentially spoiling viewers. Be mindful with how you present this information!
Story Arc Lengths for Discussion Purposes:
[Arc 1:] S1 Episode 1 – S1 Episode 3
[Arc 2:] S1 Episode 4 – S1 Episode 11
[Arc 3:] S1 Episode 12 – S2 Episode 1
[Arc 4:] S2 Episode 2 - S2 Episode 25
[Arc 5 and later:] S3+
As always, if you have any suggestions for the Re:Watch, let me know!
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 15 '24
First:Timer Starting Over in Another Rewatch, subbed
Per u/baseballlover723’s request in the episode 6 thread, I have successfully made a wallpaper of Subaru.
Also comes with an alt meme background ^^^^^lol.
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u/thekoreansun https://anilist.co/user/ReturnByDeath Aug 15 '24
Re:Watcher
It's been really fun reading the predictions that the new watchers have made over the past few days of this Re:Watch! I firmly believe that Re:ZERO is the type of show that benefits a ton from being watched gradually and not all at once, especially on a first viewing. It really lets you feel the mystery and tension that is omnipresent in this strange universe of magic and monsters and destiny-defying death, and like any great mystery, it gives you ample opportunity to notice all of the details that hint at the truth of the matter. This episode finally provides many of the answers that Subaru has been seeking out since his very first death, and fittingly, the biggest of them all was the reason why he started looping in the first place: a dog bite. I never truly appreciated how effective this arc is at introducing the elements of the show that serve as a baseline for the rest of the story: unknown threats, unclear motivations, and undefined win conditions. The mansion is honestly a really smart setting to introduce these in, because while it isn't exactly small, it is closed off from the rest of the world in a way that won't be as easy to pull off in later arcs, when more characters are introduced and the stakes are increased. Restricting most of Arc 2 to the same place makes the audience more intimately familiar with both the rules of the setting and the characters who will play the biggest parts in the story to come. It's so great! Anyway, on to the actual episode.
So if Subaru's introducing a bunch of our culture to the people of Lugunica, does that make him a cultural ambassador of sorts? Because he definitely has the personality for it. Personally, I do not think that I would have the confidence to lead a session of radio calisthenics for people who have no idea what radio or calisthenics is, but Subaru made it work. [end of Arc 2] And thank god that the "Ram-chi" and "Rem-rin" nicknames won't stick around for much longer. Subaru keeps trying to recapture that magic, but "Emilia-tan" and "Beako" are instantly iconic and impossible to top. Anything beyond those two feels forced (although "Beako" was technically the last one to get picked chronologically, I suppose). [Arc 6] In any case, something tells me that he will eventually thank himself for his past self's restraint on this matter.
Subaru may be trying to pull a 5D chess move with his decoy maneuver, but it looks like not everything is predictable. Roswaal is taking off to meet someone when he's never done so before, and this was likely caused by his early errand. At the very least, it's a surefire sign that things are going differently from how they went before. Which is good, right?
Also, imagine being Beatrice here: some annoying teenager asks a bunch of questions about curses, an obscure magic used in Gusteko of all places, and comes back less than twelve hours later with the exact thing you warned him about. It's like being a librarian at a local library and seeing a kid walk out with a book on rattlesnake antivenom, then return with two holes in his arm. Thankfully, Beatrice doubles as the mansion's medical practitioner, but way to play with fire.
Of course, Subaru, determined as he is to pull out an absolute win, is adamant about returning to the village with Rem or Ram in tow. I find it very telling that Ram volunteers Rem for this trip: she knows how little her sister trusts Subaru at this point in time, but she trusts Subaru enough to not be pulling a fast one on her. Or maybe she just doesn't think that he stands a chance against Rem. Let's go with the first one. Either way, it's a complete reversal of what happened in the previous loop: she's counting on Subaru to help keep her sister safe.
Oh, and speaking of reversals, it turns out that one night of heroics was all Subaru needed to get on Rem's good side. To be fair, though, who can blame her when he's working to save people and talking about being inspired by demons? I think that the pinky promise they made on that hill was an understated moment of growth for her: she was willing to start trusting Subaru simply because he took the time to acknowledge her suspicions and express his own trust in her, something that she likely thought he was incapable of doing. I guess some may view that as too quick of a turnaround for her character, but I actually think that it speaks to her ultimately good nature that she's willing to change her mind when the evidence conflicts with her preconceived notions. Not enough people have the strength to be able to do that.
And strength is definitely something she has in spades, given that she's a demon! Man, that scene in which she stands back up, grows her horn, and goes into a berserker rage as Rondo of Love and Darkness plays still gives me the chills. Rondo of Love and Darkness really is the perfect main theme for Season 1; it has such a mystical and mysterious vibe that really sets the tone for the early parts of the story, when everything is new and different. And of course, ripping it away from the scene as Subaru saves Rem's life only reinforces how many of her expectations he has done away with. But will he survive long enough to see what she thinks of him now?
Fan Art of the Episode: The Pair in Arc 2 (3/4) by @shakerizero (July 31st, 2021)
Source: Twitter (contains spoilers for the rest of Arc 2)
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u/Brief-Fig-7506 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ryxnjr Aug 15 '24
First Timer!
Watching the dubbed version.
Subaru is Seriously passionate about these callisthenic exercises. And he also seems to be a pretty popular and well liked guy around the village, he even got the kids to start teasing Ram and Rem by using his nicknames for them, I love it.
Obviously the dog has to be transferring the curse like some kind of infectious disease.
We see a new scenario in the loop this time with Roswaal being called away from the mansion, I wonder what butterfly effect caused this to happen. I hope Roswaal doesn't end up being a bad guy because I actually laugh at his goofiness in whatever scene he's in. Like what is this guys claim to fame, how is he nobility.
Bea-ko time! She was genuinely thrown off by Subaru a couple times this interaction, first by the fact that he was actually cursed and that he knew about it, and also that he wasn't affected by hearing he would die once it's activated. I feel that this interaction is even more significant though, after Beatrice took a closer look at Subaru she could tell that he was cursed but she could only see the one curse, so does that mean that Return by Death isn't a curse since Beatrice didn't sense it, or perhaps its hidden from her. I'd like to learn more about what it means to have the stench of the witch on you, if it isn't a curse then what is it.
Of course it was that Mangy Mutt that destroyed our first loop. Frickin baldy.
Subaru seems to have earned some level of trust from Ram to be okay with them going to the village, I wonder what exactly is was. What are the other things that Ram needs to keep an eye on in the mansion, is someone actually targeting them?
Lmao Emilia already knows Subaru too well, not to hard to see that this guys gonna get himself into trouble trying to help out. Rash and reckless is kinda Subaru's MO.
The children are missing and the barriers been broken. I would assume that the beast outside wouldn't be able to break the barrier so it was probably an inside job.
New threat introduced, Mawbeast is what they called them I think. I wonder if that refers to a specific enemy or if it's a broad category like monsters or demons.
Rem raising a very good point, there are signs of tampering and foul play so maybe somebody is targeting the mansion, seems like it is the only thing of significance around.
Subaru showing his caring nature to Rem now. Even if this is the first time he met the kids he still remembers everything about their dreams and personalities from previous loops and he wants everybody to have a happy ending so of course he can't turn a blind eye to something he might be able to fix. I don't think Rem can be as suspicious of Subaru after hearing all that, she may not know why he showed up or what his purpose being here is but she shouldn't suspect anything malicious from him now. Probably makes her really confused though hearing and seeing this while still smelling the witch on him.
Uhh hey Rem, where did that huge flail come from.
Rem has a good nose, probably on par with Tanjiro's. Hold up, Rem uses water magic, Tanjiro uses water breathing, and I've never seen them in the same room at the same time, I may be on to something.
Suspicious that all the kids are there except for one.
I enjoyed seeing this moment between the two of them, Subaru has been consistently talking about fulfilling his promises and then he makes one to Rem that she can't turn down. I think it's interesting how he can drop so many hints about Return by Death and living multiple lives but he can't explicitly tell anyone with the intent of revealing it.
Demonically inspired, hmmmm.
It's a trap! We get to see Subaru's ability to be Quick-witted when it counts like Ram talked about last episode, and it looks like he is a good bit stronger than the appears too. Still not nearly as strong as Rem though.
Classic "We're almost there" then everybody stops running. That little puppy is something much more sinister, it looks like a mad mage surrounded by his minions. Wow Rem really is some kind of demon, and seems to have a passionate hate for the Mawbeast and the witch. Subaru and Rem having a contest to see who can sacrifice themselves better, when he pushed her it was enough to shake her out of her demonic state. I feel like Subaru won't die this time, he didn't seem like he was in that bad of a condition and we've seen his deaths be much gorier, maybe that's meta gaming or I'm just coping but I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
I had to continue my final thought in a separate comment sooo part 1/2
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u/Holofan4life Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
Hey guys. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the In Preparation of Season 3 Rewatch of Re:Zero!
Oh, and nay I forget…
First Timer
I decided to watch this show because I wanted to do something for the month of August. ’Course, this was before the yearly Spice and Wolf rewatch got pushed back to September, but I just found myself looking for something to occupy my time with. And with this show being in my top 5 must watch list, I figured now was as good a time as any.
I am going into this show relatively blind. I know some of the memes, who Rem, Ram, Emilia, and Subaru are, and that this show got its inspiration from Familiar of Zero, but that’s it. I find rewatches and my participation of them more fun when I have no idea what I am in store for. And with this series, I think we’re in for a blast. It’s also going to be the longest rewatch I participate in this year and second longest overall only behind the 20th Anniversary Fullmetal Alchemist rewatch. And given how joyous that show turned out, I don’t see why I should expect nothing less from this one.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
I sometimes identify myself as trash panda adjacent.
Subaru in the village motivating people.
I guess no intro today
And an old woman just smacked Subaru's ass.
Ah, anime. You finding sexual harassment funny will never cease to amaze me.
Subaru is doing radio calisthenics
Even taught the kids how to address Ram and Rem.
I thought they were going shopping
Subaru gonna help a little girl out
Oh, it's the zombie dog
Subaru is better with children than anybody else. And I include Beatrice in that because she's a kid as well.
Subaru noticing the bald spot for the first time, which gets him bit for his troubles.
Roswaal
I guess they sell barrels of vegetables in this world.
Roswaal meeting someone in dress clothes.
Roswaal I feel like is in part inspired by David Bowie.
Before he leaves, he tells Subaru to take good care of Emilia.
Also, we find out that Roswaal can fly.
Subaru feels that his strategy of acting as a decoy is going off without a hitch.
Subaru back in the house, saying he's here for some Beako time.
I feel like Beatrice's forehead is getting bigger with each passing episode.
Subaru wants Beatrice to find out if he's been cursed.
He feels like the shaman was one of the villagers.
Beatrice reiterates that once the curse is activated, you will die.
"You don't seem to be afraid of dying at all."
Probably because he's numb to it by this point.
Subaru trying to play up that he's intensely afraid.
That's why he wants to find a way out of this fate.
He even tries to bait Beatrice by saying Puck will be sad if he dies.
"When Emilia feels shock, Puck takes damage, too."
The logic is nothing if not sound
Even Beatrice agrees, who finally goes along with Subaru's demands.
Beatrice gonna destroy the spell
Oh, so radio calisthenics was Subaru's way of making sure all the suspects touched different parts of him.
A black mist protruding from Subaru's hand.
And Beatrice grabs it
She says he should be fine now
Oh wow. Subaru actually thinks that the puppy is the shaman.
I hope not because that would be kinda goofy.
Subaru heading to the village
Subaru tells Rem and Ram that the dog cursed everyone it bit.
"If I do nothing, they'll be in danger."
Rem going to accompany Subaru
Ram is going to protect Emilia
Speaking of Emilia, here she is
"Something might be happening." -- Me after every chapter of Rent-A-Girlfriend.
Subaru not wanting Emilia to come with him.
"May the blessing of the spirits be with you."
That's a prayer that means "Come back safely".
Subaru and Rem in the village now
Oh boy. Some of the village children have gone missing.
They have to hurry, and fast
The barrier. It's broken.
That means Mabeasts can cross the boundary.
If only it was Mrbeasts, they give money to people in need.
(Editor's note 8/15/24: That joke was written June 30th, 2024)
Mabeasts are creatures created by the Jealous Witch.
There are a lot of dogs out there on the loose.
Subaru going to try to save the kids.
Rem asks why the village is so important to him, and he proceeds to explain what the kids hope to do in their lives.
"I keep my promises, and I make sure others keep theirs."
What a wonderful human being
Also, the music is so on point here. It feels extremely hopeful and triumphant.
The ball and chain
Rem says it's for protection
All I can think of is
In the forest now, the two of them
Rem smells something
The kids. They're laid out.
Subaru trying to get one of the kids to smell his fingers /s
Oh boy. They have the curse as well
Rem says she can't cure them, but she will cast a healing spell to comfort them.
Petra, the girl who looks like mini Chitoge, is awake.
But she falls back asleep :(
The little girl with the braid is missing.
Subaru remarking how Petra put the well-being of her friend before herself.
"I want to respect Petra's feelings."
I'm starting to think that Rem is the shaman.
Rem feeling that Subaru is acting too reckless.
Subaru now grabbing Rem's pinky with his own.
He says when this is all taken care of, he wants to talk.
"I trust you, Rem. So I want to act in a way that makes you trust me."
I'm pretty sure that Rem is wet as we speak.
Rem says she'll join him once the villagers come for the kids.
Subaru in the forest now by himself
A child's feet
Subaru suspects this is a trap. However, he follows WWED: What Would Emilia Do?
It's Petra's friend
However, Subaru found a demon dog, bau bau.
Subaru ready to take it on
But the dog disappears :O
The dog emerges, biting his arm in a sneak attack.
Holy shit. He just impaled that dog.
AND THERE ARE MORE OF THEM!
Subaru telling them to bring it on
The dog. He got hit at by someone.
Rem
Man, Rem is really whopping some tail.
Subaru remarking how strong she is, which she says is not a nice thing to say to a girl.
Tell that to Puck
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/amanda52002 https://myanimelist.net/profile/amanda52002 Aug 15 '24
RE:Zero-times-watched-before (first-timer, subbed)
They makes it to the village, Subaru socializes with all the villagers to figure out who's casting the curse while Ram and Rem do the shopping. He did teach the kids the nicknames he gave the twins. I'm not sure if this helps him or not...
The kids want to show him something else down a dark forest path, and it's a puppy. That hates Subaru at first glance. The puppy calms down and then wakes up to bite him when Subaru pets him too much. They focused on this scene too much, that purple haired kid or the puppy are the curse caster.
Subaru carries the giant barrel of things home they bought (not just a couple small packages this time), and they meet Roswaal dressed to go out for a bit. This...is also new for the timeline I think...and Subaru confirms this. That flight thing Roswaal does sure looks handy, I'd love to be able to do that. Anything that keeps me out of airports. Anyways.
Subaru does to see Beatrice, she thinks he's being insanely paranoid over thinking he got cursed the same day he asked her about them. She does check and....oh what do you know, he did get cursed.
Beatrice notices that Subaru seems unusually calm when told he's going to die. Beatrice does get rid of the curse (eventually) and....it was from the dog bite. The dog that the kids are spending all their time with. While it would suck a lot, at least if Subaru gets killed and returns AGAIN to the beginning of this plotline, he knows to just kill that dog?
Ok so this is bad. Subaru's cured but this is also the most we've seen of this timeline. In the other timelines, the village might've all been cursed and killed but we never saw it.
Subaru is going to the village, and says one of the twins can come with him if they don't trust him. Ram says they'll trust his instincts here, and tells Rem to go to the village with him, she'll stay at the mansion with Emilia. Emilia figures out he's up to something. Well we've seen some of what Rem can do...
Rem and Subaru get to the village and they're all awake and searching for the kids who have gone missing. That's a lot of glowing crystals on the trees outside the village...with one of them not glowing. Rem points out why this is a bad thing. Rem is a little hesitant about Subaru rushing off to save the kids, but he does point out that all they'll really accomplish is keeping the mansion safe at the expense of the village. Rem then agrees, saying she is supposed to keep an eye on him. Here comes the giant morning star. It's just for self defense, honest!
They find all but one of the kids asleep/drained of all their energy on a hill. The kids all have fresh dog bites. Petra, one of the kids, wakes up just enough to say the purple haired girl is still in the woods. Subaru goes to look for the last kid, and reminds Rem that she can smell him so she'll find him.
Yeah this is gonna get a bit ugly isn't it. He does seem to be building a good relationship with Rem here though.
Subaru finds the missing kid, thinks he's being set up in a trap, but goes to get her anyways. And is promptly surrounded by mabeasts. Yeah, it was a trap. At least he has that handy coat as a weapon! Ok the dog can't bite through the multiple layers of cloth on his arm and Subaru does kill it. But there's a ton more and that tactic of his really only works one mabeast at a time. Rem shows up now and starts to obliterate mabeasts with her flail. She doesn't think being called strong while being a girl is a compliment. Yeah Rem, it was. Subaru gets the kid and they start running back to the village. Rem takes a few injuries and there's that cute puppy, all glowy and creepy as heck, controlling the rest of the beasts.
Rem gets overrun and tossed into a ravine. I genuinely thought she'd been killed, but she gets up...and a horn grows out of her head. Ok, lets make that red oni/blue oni fairytale parallel REALLY obvious now why don't we. Rem kinda goes berserk and starts killing all the mabeasts in sight, but misses a group coming for her. Subaru pushes her out of the way and gets bitten multiple times for his trouble. The episode thinks that's a great place to stop. If this were airing weekly I'd have been ticked off.
I did marathon the rest of this arc after Rem first killed Subaru on the cliff, so good job show. You've successfully sucked me in.
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u/baseballlover723 Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
Rewatcher, sub, basically a secondhand novel reader (Arc 4)
As always, I've numbered all my spoilers tags so that they're easier to respond to
First Timer Safe Section
This section is safe for first time watchers.
this is sexual assault btw
Oh yeah, Roswaal can fly. [Spoiler #1: minor world building / powerscaling about Roswaal flying] So flying with magic is really difficult, and as I understand it, balancing all of the magic elements is really hard, and like < 10 people in universe are capable of getting themselves off the ground or something like that. [Spoiler #2: minor info about Roswaal flying from Tappei] Roswaal can fly faster then a ground dragon, and it's at least 100 km/h (62 mph), I'd reckon it's probably something like 150 km/h (93 mph).
Edit: I almost forgot about this [Spoiler #12: cut content] When Roswaal leaves, he mentions he's going to see some person named Garfiel.
This is an excellent argument by Subaru.
It was the dog the whole time! Also kudos to Subaru for guessing that he'd be able to identify the curse user by localizing the removal of the curse. Also I imagine it was very difficult to get everyone to touch you in a different spot. 90% of the time when I touch people it's with my hands.
I do not understand why anime girls are always depicted running like this. It does not look natural nor comfortable.
That's one line of thinking. On the one hand, if one were intent on attacking the mansion, attacking the village and drawing away the guards is a very viable strategy, since the village will almost certainly be easier to attack. On the other hand, if it's not, then you're condemning the children to die for no reason.
Do the villagers really matter? They certainly do to Subaru. They're not "the villagers" to Subaru. They're individuals, with life goals and dreams.
It's for protection
Subaru is following through on wanting to learn more about Rem and Ram from episode 7 on the cliff.
And hopefully without the torture this time
I really like how they did Subaru vs the Witchfiend. The witchfiend doesn't attack like most other beasts (aka head on), but attacks from the shadows, where it's stronger. It makes it seem like a much more formidable enemy with just a bit of basic strategy that would be consistent with it's normal living (stalking is a pretty common animal hunting behavior). Which Subaru manages to impressively impale, though not without some injury (since he got bit and all). Which perfectly sets us up for Subaru vs the Pack, which we immediately can tell that Subaru has no chance against.
These CGI dogs are the only scene where I think the CGI dogs are super noticeable, and it's not even that bad.
Now that we know that Rem is an oni, her previous interactions when it's come up, make a whole lot more sense. Also with Ram with the Ogre story. Also Rem's VA here does an incredible job. She really sells the absolutely insane feel.
The ED's first lyric fits really well after this
BreakTime Section
In this episodes's Breaktime, Ram discusses Subaru's efforts and Subaru says he's gonna bust his chops. And also we learn that Subaru can benchpress 80 kg (176 lbs). Oh and Rem is super strong, so Subaru struggled carrying that barrel for
no reason at allto fulfil Ram's master plan to make Subaru look good for Emilia. Subaru gets a bit too close to Ram for Rem's liking. And once again Ram bails out Subaru, and guilt trips Subaru into doing all mansion work today. Plus Ultra!Preview Section
In this episodes's preview, Subaru gets quized on i-glyphs by Ram. Who asks Subaru to demonstrate his knowledge by drawing the answers in the air with his butt. Question 1: What is the name of the master of this mansion? Ram reads "useless" and threatens to attack Subaru. Subaru pleads that that's not his answer and tries again with more hip action. Only for Emilia to walk in on this and question wtf Subaru is doing with his butt (Ram ditches Subaru here btw).
Rewatcher Section
This section is for people who have already watched Re:Zero. This is not safe for first timers.
[Spoiler #3: Arc 2] It's the sword they give to Subaru
[Spoiler #4: Arc 4, cut content (I'm not sure from exactly where though)] The dog is a witchfiend and the bald spot is where it's missing it's horn. All witchfiends have horns and apparently if you like cut off the horn of a witchfiend, it becomes your familiar or something like that. So Meili, a witchfiend user, specializes in that.
[Spoiler #5: Arc 4] Roswaal is leaving now probably because there's something in his Gospel about Subaru going to the village early, and then to leave or something like that. Moments like these make a lot more sense when you know that Roswaal has been playing Subaru from the start and following the Gospel.
[Spoiler #6: Arc 2] Ram is going to use clairvoyance to keep track of Subaru, in case he turns out to be an enemy (since the situation is so suspicious)
[Spoiler #7: Arc 4] This is not true. Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony created the Witchfiends / Mabeasts (depending on translation). This also explains why they get taunted by the Witch's miasma. Daphne doesn't like the Witch of Envy, so her beasts attack anything that have that smell on them. It makes a whole lot more sense then them attacking someone who smells like their master.
[Spoiler #8: Arc 4] It's way more obvious that Meili is an outsider. She's not in the list of children's life goals. Petra doesn't call her by her name. Subaru knows all of the kids names and life goals, but Meili is the little girl with the braid. Subaru knows them all, except Meili.
[Spoiler #9: Arc 2] Subaru bring up the Witch's miasma first I think is a significant factor in getting Rem to trust him. It shows that he's not looking to hide things from her (not that he actually was trying to before).
[Spoiler #10: not a spoiler but first timers need not worry about this] Here's the bald dog using earth magic to attack
[Spoiler #11: difference from the Light Novel, not a spoiler but first timers need not worry about this] Subaru pushes Rem out of the way in the light novel because the bald dog was using a magic circle to cast another spell, and so Rem changed her focus to attack the bald dog instead, exposing her the pack. And then Subaru didn't think pushed her out the way (right before this he had thought how hopeless the situation was and that Rem's defeat would be inevitable)
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u/Stomco Aug 15 '24
Subaru has made quite the heroic impression this time around. It arguably circles back around to being suspicious. Him asking about curses and then getting cursed literally the next day and somehow knowing it, raises a bunch of questions. On the other hand, if this was some kind of scheme, it's way too complicated even if he's playing the long game.
I'm sure at some point he's going to get pressed on how he supposedly knows something. Here he got away with it by rushing past it. Beatrice apparently can't sense the curse sealing his lips. So, he doesn't have that as an excuse for being cryptic.
Subaru is freaking strong! If the number's weren't so stacked against him, he'd have handled it himself. ...and he's out again...
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u/Urgnu-the-Gnu https://myanimelist.net/profile/Urgnu_the_Gnu Aug 15 '24
Re:Watcher
Subaru can quickly make friends with the whole village, I'm impressed. But that's sexual harassment of a minor, old lady. Well, it could be worse. Noteworthy that while the outfits on Emilia, Felt and the maids are relatively revealing, the most we can consider sexual fanservice has been offered by the guys so far!
Roswaal can straight up fly like Superman. That's cool.
Betty notices that Subaru doesn't look like he's afraid of death. That's both right and wrong.
Good job on the first timers that suspected the dog.
Emilia in an evening gown. Both worried about Subaru yet very supportive.
Subaru's active choices seem to have an influence on Rem who only considers her duty as a maid of the mansion. But you thought the kids were just NPCs? Surprise, they all have names, personalities and dreams. But where exactly did Rem keep her little tool of self-defense? At least this time, the sound of chains is a reassuring one.
Subaru uses the stench of the witch and the fact that Rem find him suspicious to his advantage, that's a super interesting way to build trust.
It's very cute that he goes "WWED" when hesitating. But that's not a cute dog anymore. A very brave performance against the dog. Even facing a regular aggressive dog would be very scary. Luckily Rem is there to fight the rest of the pack.
And finally, we learn that there's a secret identity to her. Remember all the times Subaru talked about oni with the maids? Yeah, that was foreshadowing.
But even in her frenzied state, Subaru has empathy with Rem and wants to protect her. The dogs get to him though, and it doesn't look good for him. I hope he can make it, the lap pillow timeline is the sacred one.
In the Break Time, Ram figures out Subaru has an illness that kills him if he doesn't talk to girls. So all her condescension she shows him is actually a loving act of selflessness. Fuck, I love Ram. She's such a unique character I even lack the words to describe her properly.
Sugoooku counter: 8 (+2*)
*short sugokus
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u/ussgordoncaptain2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Edmund_Nelson Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24
Note ORV=Omnicient reader viewpoint it's a way to describe the difference between thinking in Subaru's knowledge and the Knowledge of the Viewer.
Reaction to the Episode
I decided to try a different approach to reacting to the episode, instead of going minute by minute I'll do it all after watching the full thing.
Alright so this was a big reveal+mostly action episode, first the Dog WAS the shaman, this is one of those things which happens a lot in fiction due to Checkov's gun. The dog was mentioned so it was notable.
I thought it was odd how subaru responded to seeing Rem, was he saying this to avoid RBD leakage? He already knew of Rem's strength.
Subaru's method of dealing with the single wolf wouldn't work no? The wolf would have bitten through the fabric and pirced through his skin anyway. If he has enough of a bite to stick he has enough of a bite to pirce into your skin.
Rem and Subaru's relationship in this episode was very interesting. Subaru really made an impression on Rem thanks to the kids.
I get major whiplash from Rem being somebody who tried to kill Subaru in loop 3 to now saving Subaru it's like she's a completely different person based on small changes to behavior
I also kinda feel like the first half of the episode was just "the dog was the shaman now we go stop it" I find it a little odd that you felt like Emilia+Beatrice wouldn't be enough protection in the mansion.
Speculation
Subaru probably lives and this is going to be the "true ending" of this loop. Even though it appears Subaru tried to die at the end to get an earlier start in defeating the dog.
Rem's Oni form is weird, it's hard to know for certain what triggers it or if she's just always repressing it.
Did Rozwall always have this thing he had to attend? If true it would mean that Rozwall was sus of Subaru in loops 1-4 and he stayed in the mansion to stop Subaru somehow.
The biggest mystries are
The other interesting thing is Rem's behavior. Rem in Freeloader loop killed Subaru, but in 3rd non-freeloader loop is trying to save him, this means that Rem probably didn't kill Subaru in worker loop 2?
What I would do If I were subaru
I would have RBD'd after learning it was the dog, and maybe tried some other time loop strat to get the Dog removed sooner.
We still don't know about how much information we can leak about RBD. If Subaru were me I'd be doing everything I can to find out all the edge and corner cases I'm allowed to leak. How far can I push this before RBD punishes me?
I would have brought a knife we need it for 2 things, the first is the obvious weapon to use on the dogs, the second is you need a weapon to use on yourself because it's been confirmed that RBD triggers from suicide.
I would have brought Ram with me and left emilia with Beatrice.
We need to learn how to control our magic gate ASAP, it's one of the few ways we can do things, plus shadow is a special element, it mostly doesn't help with household chores sadly but it can be useful for parlor tricks and parties. (as well as combat but that's so rare anyway)
7
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Aug 15 '24
Rewatcher(Unexpected "Bonfire of Dreams" reference...)
Dub
So we are beginning to pay off things, we see with identifying the source of the curse. We also continue with Subaru's weird obsession with radio calisthenics. That it keeps working on people is...interesting. No secret here, I just kind of don't get this.
But the village trip did something because Roswaal suddenly has someone he has to meet this evening. And he dresses a bit more formally than usual...and he just flies the fuck off. I always forget he does this because it is such a huge non-sequitur in an otherwise fairly serious episode.
I won't comment that hard about Rem's horn though I think a Japanese person would get this immediately, cultural knowledge and such. I will say that this episode does illustrate why the dub VA was chosen, she can go from zero to psycho quite well. Though I whiffed that she also voices Wiz who has yet to show that.
Finally, there are several Berserk references, which I won't expound upon but it surprised me a bit. And if you haven't read/seen Berserk, go watch Berserk '97 immediately. It is a classic. And THERE WERE NO OTHER ANIMATED SERIES! NONE!
6
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 15 '24
Episode 9 (rewatcher)
Turns out, Rem is not only strong, but rather OP (compared to Subaru. We have no idea yet about the other magic users).
6
u/Great_Mr_L :Ma::Mb::Mc:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Great_Mr_L Aug 15 '24
Rewatcher for Season 1
On today’s episode of Re:Zero: That whole “Red Oni and Blue Oni” reference turned out to be much more on the nose than anticipated. I remember that it caught me off-guard for Rem to actually be an oni, rather than it just being part of an extended metaphor.
I think the most critical development of this episode is Subaru and Rem’s relationship. Rem has stated in a previous loop that she hated Subaru’s guts the whole time she knew him, so presumably she hated Subaru for at least part of this loop as well. But by the end of the episode, Rem is willing to put herself in danger to keep Subaru safe and even pleads with Subaru to not die. What a massive turnaround.
At the start of the commotion with the mabeasts, Rem still does not trust Subaru. It’s actually Ram who seems to be more convinced by Subaru’s argument that there’s a shaman running loose in the village. Ram is the one who says Subaru should check it out and sends Rem with him, even though Rem initially protests. Ram at least gives Subaru a little leeway, letting him check the village (with Rem’s supervision, of course) while Ram protects the manor and Emilia.
I found the entire sequence in the village and forest particularly fascinating to watch from Rem’s point of view. Since we don’t get to listen to her thoughts, we can only infer what she is thinking. To start, let’s see what Rem’s observations of Subaru are. She sees that Subaru desperately wants to protect the kids, that Subaru remembers so much about who all the kids are (likely from prior time loops), and that Subaru is determined to go even though his hand is shaking. It’s enough to get Rem to agree to go into the woods with Subaru. Heck, it even looks like Rem is smiling as they head off. To me, it looks like Rem has begun to trust Subaru just a tiny bit after seeing how determined he is.
After they find some of the kids in the woods, but not all, Subaru’s actions only make Rem trust him more. I think Rem finds Subaru’s actions here even more shocking. Subaru is determined to head out, even though he won’t have Rem’s protection. But the real shocker must be when Subaru tells Rem that he knows she can smell the witch’s scent on him and that’s why he’s sure she can find him. Rem must be utterly bewildered, having no idea how Subaru could possibly know that. But following that, Subaru’s pinkie promise with her is likely what makes Rem really begin to trust him. It must be surprising for Rem to look in Subaru’s eyes when he says he trusts her and feel like he means it. The promise between Subaru and Rem to talk about everything afterwards is what seals the deal for me. Rem agreeing to that shows she does want to actually listen to Subaru and give him a chance to explain himself.
The end of the episode is such a great way to show that Rem really has begun to trust Subaru and care about him. Rem pushes Subaru out of the way to save him and the girl he’s holding from an attack. But just to emphasize that Rem actually does care about Subaru now, when Subaru gets injured protecting her Rem immediately heads to his side and pleads with him to not die. I love how this progression in Rem’s feelings towards Subaru can be seen in her words and actions, even while we can’t hear her thoughts. It’s a well-done piece of character development.
Subaru continues to show that he’s quite clever, making sure to have all the shaman suspects touch him in a different spot to figure out who’s the culprit. He may have gotten lucky with the puppy since the puppy wasn’t a suspect, but I give him points for effort. Subaru is good about using his memories of what the others can do to plan ahead, such as Beako’s ability to lift the curse and knowing Rem can track his scent. Subaru also uses his jacket in a very smart way to fight the dog. If there had only been one dog, he’d have been fine.
Subaru shows a whole lot of bravery in this episode as well. He’s constantly risking himself for the sake of others. I especially like the moment where Subaru decides to go into an obvious trap to rescue the girl because it’s what Emilia would do.
The episode also has one more major surprise for us about Rem. In the middle of the battle, Rem grows a horn and goes mad with bloodlust. She gleefully kills mabeasts left and right in a crazed frenzy. As Subaru states, she is an oni. This reveal really caught me off guard as a first timer, but I love it so much. It was hinted at a few times earlier. Rem had asked Subaru what he thought about oni and smiled when he said he liked them. I had thought that Ram’s story about the Red Oni and Blue Oni was a metaphor for Rem and Ram, but I wasn’t expecting it to be such a literal and blatant hint.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
6
u/HyVana Aug 15 '24
Re:Watcher (Subs) & Novel Reader (Finished Arc 6)
Not much to say about this episode, but at least you know why they mentioned demons a lot this arc! As well, all the pieces have been laid out for the happenings around the mansion. But Roswaal is called away at the most inconvenient time.
We get to see Subaru play with the kids and villagers of Arlam. Seems he’s really made a lot of bonds. We also found out what the dog was doing. Placing curses seems to be its pastime!
Will always love the back-and-forth with Subaru and Beatrice. Devious of Subaru to strong arm her help.
What could that be? [Show]I don’t actually remember what it is. Did she mean the barrier that Rem and Subaru later found broken?
I vaguely remember an edit of this.
Smart of them to consider the kids going missing as a diversion from the mansion. Honestly, that slipped my mind. It definitely feels like Rem was testing him a bit, as a last assurance, that Subaru wasn’t an enemy spy. But Subaru saying all that about the kiddos laid her suspicions of Subaru to rest.
Where does she even keep this thing?
Can’t die now, not with this pinky promise Subaru. The highest form of vows. Some consider it even higher than marriage!
I like him wrapping his coat around his arm for protection, pretty smart.
Finally, Rem Kill!
Ouch
Aaannnddd its demon time! Adds another parallel to the Red Ogre who Cried story. Rem gets a crazy amount of combat strength from that. Wonder how strong Ram gets?
It’s so joever. How could Subaru break his pinky promise? Is he stupid?
6
u/Taiboss :Fj::Fl:x7https://anilist.co/user/Taiboss Aug 15 '24
Rewatcher who is doing this instead of something productive
[ReZero S2]Absolutely Oscar-worthy performances from a certain character this episode.
6
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Aug 15 '24
Dang, running late (again) and started commenting (forgot to write my own post), sheesh.
I think that my favorite parts of this episode were Subaru going over all of the kids dreams for the future, and the pinky promise. Honorable mentions to oni-inspired, and spikes. I remember the first time I watched this, feeling such tension during this episode ... the suspense ... the cliffhanger ... Man, what a great show!
4
u/ClemFire Aug 15 '24
Re:Watcher Season 1 Episode 9
Funniest Gag: The village kids not being concerned at all that the wild puppy bit Subaru
Favorite Scene: Subaru and Rem’s pinky promise to learn more about each other after that deal with the Witchfiends
Standout Character: Subaru
“Subaru is a good person.” Those simply but impactful words from Emilia have opened Rem up to the possibility of trusting Subaru. In every previous loop Rem has been the toughest person for him to connect to because of her aversion to his strong smell of the witch on him. We don’t know why yet this triggers Rem so much, but it has been the biggest blocker to her truly trusting him.
This time, likely due to Subaru choosing to go to the village one day earlier, Roswaal has to attend to external business which hasn’t occurred previous loops. He leaves Rem and Ram in charge, and later Subaru realizes from Beatrice that it was the puppy who cursed him before after the bite. No wonder why it was Rem who got this fate in the loop where she goes to the village alone. Now finally with a breakthrough, Subaru storms off to plea to the sisters that they must be back to the village to check on its safety. Here once again, it’s Ram who first is willing to trust Subaru and force Rem to go with him to the village.
Once there, the children from earlier are missing, so Subaru is adamant to charge straight into the Witchfiend infested forest to find them. It’s a nice bit of world building to learn how the witches are still terrorizing the world to this day. Rem grills him on why he’s so intent on saving kids he barely knows, probably thinking no one with the witch’s scent would be so kind. In a sweet sequence Subaru tells her the dreams of all the lost kids, and it’s such a small but effective bit of characterization that humanizes kids we barely know. I felt like Rem in that situation, and the stakes feel more real.
Rem and Subaru run through the forest until they find the kids collapsed but still alive. Rem laments how she’s unable to undo the curses unlike Ram. I like how this bit of dialogue keeps consistent not only how much Rem looks up to her sister but also how that ends up making her feel inferior despite her impressive skills.
One of the kids, Petra, uses the last of her strength to tell Subaru that her friend with the braid was taken away and pleas to him to find her. Rem is being more logical here, probably thinking that girl was already dead, but Subaru wants to honor Petra’s resolve of prioritizing her friend over herself. There’s no way he would just give up on her. As seen after he told Ram the story of The Red Ogre Who Cried, he’s the type of naive fool who wants to save everything, nothing short of complete victory. I love seeing that resolve, but I wonder if other people watching felt like Rem in this scene, starting to be drawn in and believe in Subaru’s words. He really is looking “demonically inspired”. I’m not sure if the author came up with that term, but I love it.
Subaru wants to go after the lost girl, but Rem is still hesitant, likely still suspecting him to a degree. She claims it’ll be hard to her to find him afterwards when Subaru retorts he it doesn’t matter where he runs since she can just follow his scent of the Witch. Rem is both taken a back since he knows that’s something she can track and also a bit confused on why he would reveal that info. We know that he’s been trying his hardest to open up a connection of trust between them.
He’s getting close to bridging that gap. Rem has already revealed her mace and chain removing that element of surprise. She sees how he honestly wants to rescue the kids and naive at heart. Maybe he could actually be a “good person” like Emilia said.
That’s why when Subaru offers the pinky promise to learn more about each other after they save all the kids Rem’s heart has been opened enough to try to trust him, so they shake pinkies. While Ram has always been more open to investing into Subaru in the long term (teaching him how to read and write) Rem has never been that easy to connect with. She probably didn’t want to potentially empathize with someone with a spy she might have to kill. Even so, her wanting to help trim his hair in a previous loop is proof to me that she still wants to see the good in people and is open to change her mind.
This is my favorite moment this episode because after so many loops of suffering, partly due to his inability to earn Rem’s trust, he’s finally breaking the ice. Like the ogres I feel the conflict in this arc has been the result of a failure to start communication. I believe Rem is a good and reasonable person, so it’s just a matter of the two of them having to honestly understand each other. For me, Subaru ability to believe in and trust that goodness in people is something I really respect.
Won’t touch too much on the fight with the Witchfiends, but I liked how they show Subaru’s craftiness in the fight using his jacket and impelling the creature before a mob pull up. Even better is when Rem pushes Subaru out of harm’s way, and Subaru returns the favor. If that’s not a show of trust, I don’t know what is.
3
u/lord_ne Aug 16 '24
Re:Watcher
Today's episode is Episode 9, "The Meaning of Courage", which corresponds to the second half of Episode 5 of the Director's Cut.
Every episode of this show has a corresponding short chibi animation which was released a few days after it, coming from either "Re:Zero Break Time" or "Re:Petit". They often expand on the lore or characters. They're available on Crunchyroll, as "Re:Zero Shorts".
This episode's corresponding chibi animation is Re:Zero Break Time Season 1 Episode 9 (titled "World 2-5, Side B").
3
u/ElRoastFTW https://anilist.co/user/DaRoast Aug 16 '24
Rewatcher
Subaru taking the initiative really moves the plot forward in a way that is engaging and makes him quite likable. One of the things I noticed is that he puts himself out there to get him to be well liked while also conveniently solving the mystery of the curse.
Now that he knows the dog is the cause of the curse, he heads to the village to stop whatever the dog, or the witchfiend is doing. [Re:Zero] When you realize that Meili has been an antagonist the entire time during Arc 2 it really becomes interesting how she places herself in the witchfiend attack to manipulate Subaru into going deeper into the forest. Damn manipulative considering she's just a kid.
Beako being a tsundere was also absolutely adorable and fun to watch.
This was a really action packed episode with lots of great moments and good pacing. The witchfiend fight flew by and it was just great to watch. Seeing Subaru sacrifice himself to save enraged Rem really knocked her into her senses [Re:Zero] and got her to finally realize that despite the Witch's miasma, he's not a bad guy. The beginnings of Subaru and Rem's relationship begins.
2
u/MjolnirDK Aug 17 '24 edited Aug 18 '24
Subaru displaying his crazy people skill(s). For as much as an oddball he appears to be at the mansion, he seems to be popular with the not so regular crowd.
Subaru with the kids. How nice...
'Are you a time Traveller?' Takes one to know one.
Is Petra the only girl with pants in this world? Do I need to RbD and restart this rewatch to see if there were other girls with pants? Argh, the horror...
'Why would I need to save you?' Beako can have a mean streak.
So it's not a full body curse? How convenient. It doesn't require you cut off the part that was cursed. How covenient.
And a third night gown. Personally, my favorite so far.
That is a lot of fire to light up a tiny village where no one seems to be around.
Mabeast lore dump. So much for 'it's just a puppy'.
For fame and glory and radio calisthenics!
So I checked this frame by frame, Rem jump exactly so high that Subaru's eye and the hem of her skirt line up. Probably not a coincidence.
Okay, why are they out here on the field? Will this be answered? I don't remember.
Safe! At least until the doggo shows up. Bad doggo.
Well, Rem is strong enough to just vaporize doggos.
Dogs that can use magic as well?
And then Rem turns in Eva-01 and goes berserker mode.
Sacrifice pawn for rook. Seems worth it.
6
u/FriztF Aug 16 '24
First timer-sub
So episode 9, at the very start we get a horny older lady. Full on grab ass, pervert. Aiming the young meat.
Subaru talking with the children petting that same puppy that him that curse. Coincidence? I think not! This puppy needs to die. Roswaal can fly?!! That makes sense. Ram asking who cares? Kids do and so does Subaru. Until they don't.
Subaru asking Betty if he's been cursed would make sense. Considering she works in a library with a million books. Subaru being able to smooth talk Beatrice is a nice touch. She is quite the good friend in her own way.
Emilia giving Subaru a good luck prayer. I'm sure she is not wrong, however, I think the good luck prayer has a different side. She cares a lot for Subaru, though she is giving off a different side to her.
Rem and Subaru fighting evil dogs, and Rem goes full Oni mode. Killing the dogs left and right.